Hydrant marker



Patented July 22, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a light reflecting hydrant marker.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel and improved marker provided with light reecting elements and which is particularly adapted for attachment to a re hydrant or the like whereby the latter may be easily located in the dark and during snowy and inclement weather.

With this general object in view, and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the light reflecting marker as hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claim at the end of this specication.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a re hydrant embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view of the marker shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same, partly in cross-section; Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to Fig. 3 of modified forms of the present marker; and Fig. 6 is a plan View of the marker.

In general, the present invention contemplates a novel and improved light reflecting marker for outdoor use and which is particularly adapted for attachment to a re hydrant whereby the hydrant may be easily and quickly located after dark or during a snowstorm. The present marker is preferably designed to be attached to the upper portion of the hydrant and to extend above the top thereof. Thus during a snowstorm in which the snow is of a depth such as to entirely conceal the hydrant, the present marker is clearly visible to reveal the location of the hydrant.

Referring now to the drawings, I represents a, lire hydrant of any usual or preferred type to which the present reflecting marker or locator I2 may be attached. As herein shown, the illustrated marker I2 comprises an elongated upstanding metallic bar I4 provided with a plurality of reflector buttons Iii preferably arranged in vertical rows upon one or more sides thereof. In

the illustrated marker, as shown in cross-section in Fig, 3, the reflector buttons I6 may be supported in metal sockets I8, a. pair of sockets being pressed into opposite sides of a hole drilled through the bar I4. The reflector buttons may and preferably will be of the type usually employed on road signs comprising white or colored glass buttons capable of reilecting the light from the headlights of an automobile or a search or flash-light, and which are capable of shedding snow and ice so as to be visible under inclement Weather conditions.

Thelmajority of V,the standard commercial re hydrants of AwhichfI .am-aware are provided with an operating nut 2l) as their uppermost part by which the .hydrant valve may be opened and closed. I `In practice, such operating nuts are usuallyprovided witha central opening `for lubricating purposes, such opening being normally closed by a screw or plug. As herein shown, the present marker I2, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, is provided with a threaded extension 22 at its lower end by which the marker may be conveniently attached to the hydrant by removing the lubricating screw or plug and inserting the extension 22. The marker thus attached serves the purpose of the lubricating screw and may be easily removed when it is desired to lubricate the moving parts of the hydrant for opening and closing the valve.

As illustrated in Fig. 4, other types of hydrants include those which are provided with an upstanding threaded portion 24 extending from the main operating stem 26. In such types of hydrants the operating nut 28 is tted over a reduced portion 30 of the stem and a hold down nut, not shown, is screwed onto the threaded portion 24 to hold the operating nut in engagement with the main operating stem 26.

In order to adapt it to the above described type of hydrant, the present marker I2 may be provided with a tapped hole 32 in the bottom thereof corresponding to the threaded portion 24 of said main operating stem so that in practice the marker may be attached by merely removing the hold down nut and replacing it with the marker. Thus, in addition to serving for its intended purpose as a light reflecting marker it also serves as a hold down nut for the hydrant operating nut 28.

In those instances in which the operating nut has neither a tapped hole for a lubricating screw or an extended threaded portion for a hold down nut, it is merely necessary to drill and tap a hole in the top of such operating nut for the attachment of a marker such as illustrated in Fig. 3.

Referring now to Fig. 5, in some instances it may be desired to provide a marker of the type having an internally threaded ,portion 32 with an adapter 34 to permit such type of marker to be used interchangeably for attachment to either type of hydrant above described. As herein shown, the adapter comprises a ange member having threaded portions 36, 38 extending from either side thereof, one portion 3'6 being received in the internally threaded portion 32 of the marker, and the other, 38, being received in the 3 tapped hole in the operating nut, as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

From the above description it will be observed that the present light reflecting marker may be used with advantage in locating hydrants in the dark and also after a snowstorm in which the snow is of sufficient depth to conceal the main portion of the hydrant, the present marker extending from the top of the latter whereby the location may be quickly revealed by a searchlight thus saving valuable time in an emergency.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described,

it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

A marker for a re hydrant of the type having an operating nut projecting above the top portion thereof, comprising an 'elongated uprightA member adapted to be attached to such an operating nut, and a plurality of light reilecting buttons mounted in said upright member, said upright member having al1 cross-sectional dimensions smaller than the corresponding ones of said operating nut whereby to permit a closed wrench of a size to t said operating nut to pass thereover without disturbing the marker.

WALTER J. DOODY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 388,010 Bailey Aug. 21, 1888 2,275,518 Frank Mar. 10, 1942 Y 2,175,565 Blackman et al. Oct. 10, 1939 2,175,567 Blackman et al Oct. 10, 1939 f 2,108,370 i Ernst Feb. 15, 1938 2,121,132 Ryder June 21, 1938 724,742 Sandbo Apr. 7, 1903 1,821,580 Rogers Sept. 1, 1931 1,741,088 Zehnder Dec. 24, 1929 2,264,605 Ackerman Dec. 2, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 26,326 Great Britain 1911 457,805 Great Britain 1936 

